1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a weeder which a user can handle in a standing posture when the user is to pick up a weed or weeds (hereinafter referred to as “weeds”) in the ground by using the weeder.
2. Description of the Related Art
This type of weeder is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application (for an invention made by an inventor of the present invention and assigned to the assignee of the present application) which was laid open to public inspection on May 21, 2002 under Provisional Publication No. 2002-142501. The conventional weeder includes a longitudinal cylindrical or pipe-like shaft, an operating lever means pivotally supported via a support pin to a portion of the longitudinal cylindrical shaft which is adjacent an upper end portion of the longitudinal cylindrical shaft, chuck means provided at a lower end portion of the longitudinal cylindrical shaft for pinching and pulling out weeds in the ground, and a towing wire received and extending within a longitudinal bore of the longitudinal cylindrical shaft, and coupling the operating lever means and the chuck means. When a user grasps the upper end portion of the longitudinal cylindrical shaft and manually operates the operating lever means so as to cause the operating lever means to approach an axis of the longitudinal cylindrical shaft, the chuck means is adapted to be actuated.
The chuck means of the conventional weeder includes a base frame provided at the lower end portion of the longitudinal cylindrical shaft, a first pinching piece provided at the base frame so as to extend downward from the base frame, a swinging frame pivotally supported to the base frame, and a second pinching piece provided at the swinging frame.
When the user is to pick up weeds in the ground by using the conventional weeder, the user grasps the longitudinal cylindrical shaft in a standing posture and places the first pinching piece on an area of the ground in which the weeds grow. In this condition, when the user operates the operating lever means so as to cause the operating lever means to approach the axis of the longitudinal cylindrical shaft, the swinging frame is swung, whereby the second pinching piece approaches the first pinching piece. As a result, the weeds are pinched between the first pinching piece and the second pinching piece. In this condition, when the user pulls the longitudinal cylindrical shaft up, the weeds can be pulled out.
In the conventional weeder, a grasping force of the operating lever means by the user is transmitted to the chuck means as a weed-chucking force or a weed-pinching force, whereby the weeds are strongly pinched by the first and second pinching pieces. Therefore, when the user pulls the weeder up in condition where the weeds are pinched between the pinching pieces, the weeds can be positively pulled out by the roots. When the operating lever means is released from the user's hand, the swinging frame is adapted to be swung in such a manner that the second piece is moved away from the first pinching piece. By the movement of the second pinching piece away from the first pinching piece, the weeds are released from the first and second pinching pieces.
However, the releasing of the weeds from the first and second pinching pieces is carried out with resort to the movement of the second pinching piece away from the first pinching piece, so that when the second pinching piece is moved away from the first pinching piece, there is a possibility that the weeds and/or mud will remain attached to the first pinching piece and/or the second pinching piece.